NEW YORK - The Twins' pivotal road trip has turned south after an 8-0 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night dropped them to 2-3 with six games to go.
It could get even worse if Major League Baseball comes down hard on Twins center fielder Torii Hunter, who was ejected for his blowup in the eighth inning. Home plate umpire Ron Kulpa tossed Hunter for yelling at him after he called Nick Punto out on strikes.
Hunter stormed from the dugout and got in Kulpa's face, yelling and pointing at him. Bench coach Steve Liddle, third base coach Scott Ullger and on-deck hitter Jason Bartlett herded Hunter away, but not before Hunter shared some choice words with crew chief Wally Bell, who walked in on the situation.
Why did Hunter erupt? The Twins weren't happy with what Kulpa said to Hunter after he was called out on strikes in the seventh inning as well as what Kulpa said to Punto in the eighth.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said any investigation should start with the umpires.
"They ought to walk over there and ask him what he said to Nick Punto after the pitch, that's what that league ought to do," Gardenhire said. "[And] what he told Torii at home plate on the pitch was wrong. He said, 'That was a nasty slider.' It was a fastball.
"If they want to take care of business, go talk to that side over there. The guys in that little room."
Kulpa was soon reached in the umpires room.
"I don't know what set Torii off," Kulpa said. "I don't know what they are talking about."
Several players in the league, including San Diego's Josh Bard, the Mets' Paul LoDuca and Detroit's Gary Sheffield, have been suspended this season for encounters with umpires. Those incidents included either contact with the umpire or thrown equipment.
Both Kulpa and Bell confirmed that Hunter did not come into contact with them.
"If a player gets ejected, we call it in and report it," Bell said. "That's it. The league takes care of everything else."
But the intensity of Hunter's actions could lead to punishment by the league. And considering that MLB headquarters are in New York, there's a chance for a quick ruling. That would be the last thing the Twins need with two games left against the Yankees before four games in three games in Chicago.
"They may just give me a fine," Hunter said. "That's just a regular ejection."
As for the game, the Twins were outplayed in all phases of the game as they fell to 2-15 at Yankee Stadium under Gardenhire. Carlos Silva was knocked out in the sixth inning and was charged with five runs. The Twins were sloppy defensively for a second night in a row. And the offense has now scored one run in the past 30 innings.
The Twins also were shut out for the seventh time this season, not the mark of a playoff team.
"You can't get discouraged with the events of the past two days," Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer said. "You can't get intimidated, especially in a place like this against a team like this. We have to go out tomorrow and put it to them."
La Velle E. Neal III • lneal@startribune.com
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